


of sparkling cider and chocolate hearts

by feloosha (gwencelot)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Background Blake/Yang, Background Marrow/Clover, Background Robyn/Fiona, Established Relationship, Fluff, James is a disaster but we love him, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:21:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22726069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gwencelot/pseuds/feloosha
Summary: It's Valentine's Day. James forgot.---He shoots upright in the bed, scrambling to grab his Scroll from the bedside table. With a tap, the screen lights up, displaying the date and time prominently. James curses.It’s February 14th.
Relationships: Clover Ebi & James Ironwood, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood, Robyn Hill & James Ironwood
Comments: 11
Kudos: 88





	of sparkling cider and chocolate hearts

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a much different fic but it had a mind of its own. Who knows, maybe next year I'll do the original idea :P Happy Valentine's Day y'all!
> 
> [See what's in the works at my tumblr!](https://feloosha.tumblr.com/wip)

James’ eyes fly open. Something… something isn’t right.

He instinctively reaches his left arm out, frowning when his hand makes contact with cold sheets instead of a warm body. He flips over to face the empty side of the bed, pulling Qrow’s pillow closer to bury his face in it. James is about to take a deep breath to inhale Qrow’s smell when he realizes why he woke up feeling panicked in the first place.

He shoots upright in the bed, scrambling to grab his Scroll from the bedside table. With a tap, the screen lights up, displaying the date and time prominently. James curses.

It’s February 14th.

* * *

James stares at the coffee dripping slowly down into the pot, willing it to go faster. He swears the next drop takes even longer. With a sigh, he turns around, bracing himself against the counter and crossing his arms. How had this day snuck up on him?

He quickly runs through the week leading up to today in his head, trying to figure out why he’s been so distracted–trying to come up with an excuse, really. Because that’s all it is; despite all of James’ careful planning, all of his grand ideas, the truth is he simply forgot about Valentine’s Day when it’s finally come around.

And that just won’t do.

James pours the coffee into a travel mug as quickly as he dares, hissing when a few stray drops land on his flesh hand, because of course they do. He shakes it off, double checking that he has his Scroll and grabbing his greatcoat before heading out of the apartment.

As luck would have it, James runs into Clover just outside his office, looking as anxious as James feels.

“Clover!” He greets him quickly, looking around. “Have you seen Qrow?”

“Oh, ah, no, sorry,” Clover frowns, mimicking James in taking a glance around before turning to face him again. “I was actually… I need your help.”

“Oh,” James says, trying not to sound too disappointed. He shoots off a quick message to Qrow on his Scroll before stuffing it in his pocket and taking a deep swig of his coffee, gesturing for Clover to go on. He has to multitask, here.

“Umm…” Clover puts his hands on his hips, bouncing lightly on his toes. “This is going to sound dumb, but… do you know anything about wine?” He bites his lip. “It’s Valentine’s Day, and I—” He stops, looking embarrassed. James blinks, tilting his head to watch Clover as he looks back at him hopefully. He looks incredibly young in this moment, like a teenager eager to please on a first date.

James really doesn’t have time for this, but… “Walk with me,” he sighs, smiling a little as Clover’s face lights up and he falls easily into step with him.

In the time it takes them to exit Atlas Academy and make their way to the cute little plaza of shops nearby, James has managed to glean the following information: Clover has never celebrated Valentine’s Day with anyone before (“I mean, you know, I’ve never been in a real  _ relationship  _ before, only…  _ you know.”);  _ Clover has never stepped foot in a liquor store in his life (“I just go to bars or grab the little beer cans from shops!”); and Clover is helplessly, hopelessly in love (but James kind of already knew that).

“So what kind of flavors do you think Marrow would like?” James asks as he steps into the store behind Clover, smirking when he whirls around with wide eyes.

“Uh—Marrow? I don’t…” He chuckles nervously, arms coming up to fold across his chest, then behind his back, then up again. When James doesn’t budge, Clover sighs, defeated. “Qrow told you?”

“He didn’t have to.” James beckons him over to the wine section, colorful bottles lining the wall, light from the windows reflecting off the glass. He’s always felt liquor stores held a sort of… unusual beauty to them. Of course, that could be due to how long he associated Qrow with them. But that’s in the past.

Clover is silent as they look at the wine together, squinting at a few labels before looking helplessly up at James. “Something… fruity? He’s really sweet. I mean,” he corrects himself quickly, hand coming up to cover his face. “He really  _ likes  _ sweet things.” James grins. He’s never seen Clover fumble like this. 

The joys of young love.

“You can’t go wrong with a Moscato d’Asti,” James says, graciously ignoring Clover’s word slip. “Of course, you could choose a Sherry for more of a strong wine, but you’re going to pay extra for it.” He glances to the side to make sure Clover is paying attention. He looks completely mystified, mouthing the words “d’Asti” and “Sherry” to himself. James’ mouth twitches. “You know what? Go with the Moscato. It was one of the first wines I developed a taste for.”

Clover looks immensely relieved, immediately turning to the wall to scan the labels again. He pauses with a finger hovering over one, looking back at James. “Uh… Would this work?” James leans in to look with him. It’s a small batch from a producer in Menagerie. He hasn’t tried it before, but he’s familiar with the name. When he nods his approval, Clover reaches out to take the bottle carefully, a small smile on his face.

“Sir?” Clover holds the bottle gingerly in his left hand, the right coming up to his forehead for a quick salute. “Thank you.” James waves him off to pay with a shake of his head. Of all the times for formalities. 

With that done, James figures he should grab something himself while he’s here. Qrow still hasn’t answered, so it appears he has some time to figure out what to actually do to celebrate. He makes his way to the mixers section, hopeful they’ll have some other non-alcoholic drinks here, too. His eyes drift over packs of tonic water, club soda, and margarita mix before finally falling on a display of sparkling cider. Perfect.

The cashier gives him an odd look as they ring up the bottle, asking tentatively, “Are you sure this will be all, sir?”

“Yes,” James says firmly, holding his Scroll out to transfer the Lien. He and Qrow are perfectly capable of having a nice night without sabotaging his sobriety. When he steps out of the shop, it’s with a new spring in his step, happy to have at least something to show for the trip here. 

* * *

Just up the street on his trek back to the school, a shock of blond catches his eye. He turns, surprised to see Yang lingering outside of a store, looking at displays through the window. James checks his Scroll again for good measure; nothing. With a shrug, he makes his way over to Yang, stopping beside her.

“I’m trying to decide what to get Blake,” she says as a greeting, catching his eye in the reflection of the window. Without missing a beat, she reaches out to grab his coffee thermos from him, taking a sip. James blinks; that’s a bold move, but he lets her have it. He peers into the window with her. It seems to be a multi-purpose shop, with flower arrangements and boxes of chocolate on display presumably for the holiday. He nods in understanding, gesturing to the brown paper bag in his hand.

“I know the feeling.” At her furrowed brow, he quickly clarifies. “Sparkling juice.” 

Yang smiles. “You make Uncle Qrow really happy, you know.”

“Oh.” James clears his throat, trying to ignore the sudden heat in his cheeks and tightness in his chest. “Oh, he, uh, he’s the one that—” Yang snickers, holding up her hand to stop him.

“You make each other happy,” she amends, eyes softening. James smiles back at her.

“Speaking of Qrow, have you seen him this morning?” James resists the urge to check his Scroll again. He sighs when Yang shakes her head, an apologetic look on her face. She gestures to the door of the shop, raising an eyebrow.

“You wanna find something to go with that juice?”

Yang is a much better shopping companion than Clover. James has barely had a chance to look at gifts himself before she’s checked out, appearing beside him again with a bag and a bouquet of roses in her hand. Ignoring his surprised expression, Yang takes a swig of coffee and pores over the chocolate display with him, a serious look on her face.

“How fancy are we lookin’ to get, here?”

James laughs, noting not for the first time how much she really takes after Qrow. No finesse, straight to the point. “I don’t think it’s about being fancy.”

“That’s true.” Yang scrunches her nose up like she’s thinking, before finally relaxing her face with a shrug. “If it helps, when we were held up in Argus, he wouldn’t shut up about how much he was craving chocolate, so I really don’t think you can go wrong here.” She waves the bouquet with a grin, walking backwards to the door. “I gotta go, but I’ll catch ya later… Uncle James.” Before James can fully process what she says, she’s gone, laughter following her outside. 

“Uncle James,” he echoes to himself, unable to help the grin taking over his face. Absently grabbing one of the bigger boxes of chocolates, James heads to the shop’s checkout counter, the words on repeat in his head.

* * *

When James returns to their shared apartment to find Qrow still missing, he starts to get a little bit worried. He considers calling Qrow, but if he’s not answering any messages, he definitely won’t be picking up a call. James fires off another message anyway, making his way to the kitchen to deposit his purchases on the counter. He toys with the idea of making dinner, but with no idea when Qrow will return home, it feels a little pointless.

The ringing of his Scroll brings a relieved smile to his face, one that quickly fades as he looks at the screen. It’s not Qrow.

“Robyn?” He answers, the greeting coming out as more of a question.

“Don’t sound so happy to hear from me, Ironwood,” her sarcastic voice comes over the line, a bit staticky. James frowns; she must be in Mantle. Still, the communication lines should keep all of that clear. He’ll have to send someone to take a look. “Hello?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he says quickly, snapping out of it and giving Robyn his full attention. “Is there something I can do for you? How are you?” 

Robyn snorts. “Weird order to ask those questions in, but alright. I wanted… I’m calling to ask you for a favor.”

“A favor?” James raises his eyebrows. This is unusual.

“That’s what I said. I’m… I heard you have a connection at The Golden Mirror.” Robyn sounds reluctant to even be bringing this up. James has a feeling he knows why; The Golden Mirror is one of the only Faunus-friendly restaurants in Atlas, and also one of the most exclusive. “I was hoping to make a reservation for tonight.”

“Tonight?” James brings a hand up to rub his nose, trying not to sigh. Getting a reservation for her would be one thing, but on such short notice… “I can try.” Damn his soft heart.

“Really?” Robyn says excitedly, quickly clearing her throat. “I mean, that would be great. I would really appreciate it.” James smiles, already pulling up the number on his phone.

“For two, I take it? Should I put it under you, or Miss Thyme?” He knows who to put it under. He just wants to hear Robyn squirm.

“I—” She flounders for just a second, quickly recovering. “That’s very presumptuous of you, Ironwood.” He waits. She sighs. “...You can put it under my name.”

“Excellent. I’ll let you know.”

“Yep.” Mission accomplished, Robyn hangs up without another word. James rolls his eyes but dials the number anyway.

“General?” The person on the other end picks up after barely one ring. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course I—” James frowns, looking at his Scroll. What happened to saying “hello” today? He supposes it  _ has  _ been a while since they chatted. “Violet, I’m very sorry about the short notice, but I have a friend who needs to make a reservation.”

“Oh,” she sounds disappointed, but he can’t blame her. They can catch up another time. James hears the tapping of her fingers over the line, likely checking for any openings. “This is tough, General… I may have something. Can you give me a moment?”

“Of course.” James flinches when loud hold music kicks in, directly in his ear. He pulls the Scroll away, surprised when he sees a message from Qrow waiting for him on the screen. Finally. 

_ Sorry Jim, kinda a rough morning. I’ll be home soon. _

James frowns, finger hovering over the ‘call’ button. But no, this can wait. Sometimes Qrow just needed his space, and James needs to stay on the line anyway. Just as he sends a quick reply, Violet’s voice comes back over the line, sounding pleased with herself.

“I’ve got your table!” She says. “Name?”

“Robyn Hill. Violet, thank you so much, and I mean it when I say I owe you a favor.” James hesitates, thinking about Qrow’s message. “I don’t suppose… You would have one more?”

“Oh, General,” Violet says, sounding regretful. “I’m sorry, I had to pull some strings for this one. Would you like me to change the reservation to be under your name instead?”

“No, no!” James says quickly, waving away the suggestion with one of his hands even though she can’t see him. “Of course not. I want Miss Hill to have a lovely time.” He leans against the kitchen island, wracking his brain. “Do you have any other recommendations?”

He hears the sympathetic click of her tongue over the line and has a feeling he already knows the answer.

“I think everything is booked by now, General.”

“Yes, of course,” he sighs, scrubbing a hand across his face. “I’ll let you go. Thank you again, and enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you, sir. You as well.”

James hangs up his Scroll and tosses it onto the counter. He knows it’s his own fault; caught up in work, in his own thoughts for the week, he had missed plenty of opportunities for reservations, for big plans. 

Now he just has juice and chocolate. 

Still, it’s something. James shuffles over to a cabinet, grabbing two glasses and bringing everything with him to the small dining room table. He pulls the bottle out of its brown bag carefully, but pauses when he catches sight of the label. The lighting in the apartment is a lot brighter than it had been in the liquor store, and he has a feeling he knows now why the cashier had given him an odd look.

It’s not sparkling cider that he’s holding. It’s sparkling water. Fucking  _ water. _

James makes a choking sound in the back of his throat, eyes widening in disbelief. No. No, he couldn’t have been that stupid… But the evidence is right there in front of him, clear liquid glinting cheerfully from the bottle. What’s he supposed to do with sparkling water?

Okay. Okay, that’s not good, but he still has… James grabs the box of chocolate eagerly, thinking fast. He can arrange the chocolate into the shape of a heart on the table. Too cheesy? Strip and put the chocolate all over himself, say he’s the real treat tonight? No, that’s something Qrow would do, but James would feel ridiculous. But maybe…

He turns the box over to break the seal and open it, pausing. Just to double check…

He looks at the list of ingredients, and has to clench his fist to keep from throwing the box and getting chocolate everywhere. He’d been so distracted by Yang calling him  _ Uncle  _ that he hadn’t noticed the chocolate has nuts.

Peanuts.

Which Qrow is allergic to.

“Fuck!” James can’t help but let the curse slip from his lips, louder than he meant to. He has to admit it feels a little cathartic.

“Woah, Jim, everything okay?” James jumps at the voice behind him, turning quickly to face Qrow, who stands in the doorway with a little smile on his face. His hair is messier than usual, the bags under his eyes a little darker than James would prefer, but he looks… okay. Not distressed. James drops the chocolates on the table behind him, looking sheepish.

“I should be asking you that,” he says, avoiding the question. Qrow closes the distance between them in just a few strides, reaching up to plant a kiss on James’ cheek. James hums, turning his head to catch the next one on his lips. Qrow smiles.

“Bad dreams. I’m okay.” When James grabs his hips to pull him closer, Qrow runs his hands up his chest until they land on his broad shoulders, squeezing gently. “Really, James.”

“Okay,” James murmurs, leaning in to press their foreheads together. He makes to kiss Qrow again, hopefully distract him—

“But seriously, what was that when I walked in?” Dammit. Qrow doesn’t let these things go. James sighs, pulling back and gesturing at the abandoned chocolates and bottle on the table. 

“I’m an idiot. I wanted to make Valentine’s Day plans, but everything just came up on me so  _ quickly…”  _ Qrow frees one of his arms, reaching over to look at the water, then the chocolates. He seems to realize very quickly what the problem is if his laughter is any indication. James frowns. “Hey, don’t—”

_ “Jim,”  _ Qrow says through chuckles, pressing a hand behind James’ neck until he leans down for another kiss. Qrow smiles against his mouth. “I don’t care about… gifts or dinner or… any of that.” James opens his mouth to protest that no, he knows, but James at least wants to  _ treat  _ him, he deserves it, he deserves  _ everything.  _ Qrow silences him with another kiss, which is really the most effective way to get James to stop talking. When he seems sure that James won’t try to say anything again, Qrow picks up the bottle, holding it between them.

“It’s water,” James says lamely. 

“It’s  _ fancy  _ water. You spoil me, Jim.”

James groans. “I hate you.” 

Qrow smiles. “I love you.”

Later, when the bottle lays empty on James’ bedside table and Qrow is draped across his chest, sweaty and satisfied, James thinks it’s probably one of the best Valentine’s Days he’s ever had.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know shit about wine other than I like Moscato d'Asti. Don't sue me. Also Violet is just a random NPC for the purposes of this story, but now I kinda like her.


End file.
